Watch Where You're Going
by eruditefirebender
Summary: It all started with an accident, which led to confusion and anger, and unknown feelings, which brought the two together, along with a few bumps along the way. High school AU. JeanMarco
1. Chapter 1

**Okayyy so here you go :3 I've been thinking about this au for a while and thought why not, so here's the first chapter! This is my first time writing a full out story instead of a oneshot, I'm always open for feedback. :D**

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"Oh god, where is it…." Marco stood in front of his locker, running his hands through his hair out of stress, before digging around the inside again. He had ten minutes left until first period started, and his textbook decided to hide itself within the mess that is his locker. For a straight-A student with a perfectly organized schedule for himself, his locker wasn't much help.

After a few more minutes of rummaging through the books, loose papers and randoms pens around his locker, he grinned when he finally found it, tucking the book under his arm and closing his locker. He turned around, ready to get to his class early- when he bumped into someone, dropping the books in his hands.

He bent down to pick it up, not even noticing who was in front of him, "Oh my god I'm so sorry-" he apologized and looked up, swallowing hard, "-Jean." Jean stared down at him, his brows furrowed slightly, shifting his weight onto one foot as the freckled male got up, holding the books in his hand. Jean crossed his arms over his chest taking a step closer to Marco, his eyes narrowed. He glanced over his shoulder for a second looking at his little posse, who were smirking, waiting for something to happen.

Marco gnawed on his bottom lip, shifting slightly in his spot as he waited to see what Jean would do. Of course he was terrified, Jean was known to get into fights _very_ often- and most of the times, win.

Something about the guy made Jean actually _not_ want to hurt him, as he would usually do. He sighed, knowing his friends would start questioning him if he didn't do something. Putting on a fake scowl, he slammed Marco up against the locker. Marco closed his eyes tightly shut as he did so, feeling pain shoot down his back.

"What's your name, huh?" Jean asked, lifting a hand up, as if he were about to strike, causing Marco to flinch away.

"M-Marco Bott." he stuttered out, opening his eyes slightly as a confused look spread across his face. He saw Jean's raised arm fall back down to his side, letting go of his shoulder and backing away. Marco got up from against the locker, standing in front of Jean again.

"Watch where you're going next time, Bott." he deadpanned, pushing past him and walking down the hallway. Marco stared at him as he walked away, before leaning back against the locker and breathing out a sigh of relief.

Jean clenched his hands into fists as his friends started questioning him as to why he didn't do something to Marco, "Look, guys. Mr. Smith already told me I'd get suspended if I got into another fight this week." he lied. He was saved by the bell before any of his friends asked anymore questions, mumbling a small, "Bye," to them as he walked over to his first class, the earlier events that took place still on his mind.

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Marco wasn't able to concentrate as much as he used to during class at all during first period. He occasionally jotted down some notes, trying to focus on what the teacher was saying, but his train of thought would always redirect to Jean. He seemed pretty angry, didn't he? The anger was apparent on his face, and he was ready to, wasn't he? _Wasn't he?_ This and multiple other questions kept on running through his head, until his line of thought was cut off by the bell, and he picked up his bag, catching up with Eren.

"Eren! Hang on!" Marco called out as he ran after him, grabbing his shoulder as he caught up with him, stopping to catch his breath. Eren raised an eyebrow at the taller male as he turned around, staring at him.

"I need to ask you something." Marco started, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he leaned against a locker.

"Yeah?"

"So, uh, you know how you and Jean get into fights together a lot?" he asked, causing Eren to scowl at the mention of Jean's name, but he nodded his head, letting Marco to continue. "Does he ever, you know, _not _hit you?" he continued.

Eren gave Marco a confused look, "Considering almost every time we see each other it turns out to be a fist fight, I'm pretty sure the answer is obvious. If you're looking for another answer you need to be clearer, dude."

"No, I mean, like, does he ever look like he's going to hit you, and then just, not?" Marco said, furrowing his brows. He wasn't finding it easy to word the question properly. "Like, does he ever choose not to hit you? " he tried to clear up.

Eren had the same confused look as he tried to understand his question, "Um, as far as I'm concerned, every time we fight he always strikes without a second thought, if that's what you're looking for." he answered, giving him a small smile. "Why are you asking me this though? Did he do something to you?" Eren asked, his voice on an edge.

Marco shook his head, "No, don't worry about it. I'm just wondering, that's all. Thanks."

He waved at Eren as he left, walking over to his second class. As far as he was concerned, Marco was almost completely sure that he had been the first guy that Jean actually hadn't picked a fight with. That realization wouldn't stop bothering him for the rest of the day.

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Jean walked over to his class for second period, running a hand through his hair as he recollected the events from earlier that day. He walked over to the desk, sitting by his friends, and staring out into the window. He bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to figure out why he treated Marco differently. After all, if it was Eren or someone else he would have punched them on the spot, without even thinking twice. But then, he hesitated before doing anything. He shook the thought away as the teacher walked in, and stared blankly at the teacher as the class went on, his mind keeping on wandering to Marco.

As the class finally ended, Jean swung his bag over his shoulder and walked with his friends out of class, laughing at some joke Connie cracked that he really didn't hear. As they walked down the hall, he looked down at his phone looking through his text messages when he bumped into something. He scowled and took a step back, looking up. His scowl immediately faded as he saw that once again, Marco had bumped into him.

Marco stood there in front of him, shoving his hands into his pockets, his eyes fixed to the ground. Like always, Jean put on his act again, narrowing his eyes as he took a step towards Marco, ignoring their height difference as he looked up at him.

"I thought I told you to watch where you're going." he said, staring right into Marco's umber brown eyes.

Marco looked down at Jean, shifting his weight onto one foot, "I-I know, and I'm sorry." he said. He slowly took a step back, backing away from Jean.

Connie stepped from behind Jean, a smirk apparent on his face, "Oh ho ho, you're gonna get it now Marco." he said, standing beside Jean. Jean held a hand up, signalling Connie to keep quiet.

He took another step towards Marco, "I'll let it pass this time." he said. "But if it happens again you better watch out."

Marco kept quiet and nodded his head, watching Jean as he walked away. He raised an eyebrow and leaned against the locker, staring up at the ceiling.

_Again_. _It happened again._

He bit the inside of his cheek. Now his point had been proven. He was the first guy that Jean hadn't picked a fight with. It was his plan to bump into him, so he had done it on purpose, just to see if Jean just didn't do it because he had no other choice, because of some teacher or something, or because he didn't want to. Plus, it was a risky move, Marco knew it himself. But after seeing Jean pick a fight with another kid earlier today, he knew that the first reason was crossed out, leaving him to see if he actually _chose_ not to hurt him. And he was right, as far as he knew.

But the question still lingered in both Jean's and Marco's mind:

_Why?_

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**Ehehehe hope you like it so far :3 Reviews are always appreciated, and yeah!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY. i'M UPDATING THIS REALLY LATE I KNOW BUT I WAS ON VACATIOOOOON. BUT ANYWAY HOPE YOU LIKE IT CHAPTER 2 IS OFFICIALLY OUT!**

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As their day neared its end both Jean and Marco made their way to their last period, which they had together. Marco as usual, stood outside the teacher's door at least 5 minutes before class actually started. He greeted the teacher with a slight smile and nod as he opened the door to his classroom, stepping in and like always, taking one of the seats that were right in the front of the class.

The bell rang and the rest of the students started pouring into the class, all taking their usual seat. Marco lifted his hand up to wave at Armin, who walked over to him, taking the seat beside him, like always. Once the class had started Marco was already taking notes in his notebook, paying close attention to the teacher. He tilted his head up to look at his teacher who had paused mid-sentence and was now giving a disapproving look to the student standing at foot of the door, who had a bored expression on his face.

"I suppose you'd like to tell me your excuse this time as to why you're late, Mr. Kirchstein?" the teacher asked, his lips pursed.

Jean smirked, shrugging his shoulders, "No, I'm afraid not, Mr. Ackerman. Just don't give a shit about this class." he answered, earning him a very intimidating glare from Mr. Ackerman. He stood there, staring right at the teacher for a few seconds, unfazed, before scoffing and and walking over to where Marco was sitting, staring down at him for a moment before heading to his seat.

And there you had it. The school's biggest trouble-maker in action. Marco glanced back at Jean for a second, his eyebrow raised. Jean looked back at him, causing Marco to turn back around quickly, shrinking back in his seat as he continued to take notes for the rest of the class.

Once class ended, Jean started packing his stuff back into his bag, getting up from his seat and ready to go outside, when he glanced up and saw Marco standing at his desk. Jean quirked an eyebrow at stared up at the freckled male, his arms crossed over his chest. With a sigh, he stood up from his seat and faced Marco, swinging his bag over his shoulder.

"What, are you going to stare at me like that the entire day or something? Spit it out, Bodt." Jean said, waiting for Marco to say something. Truth was, Marco didn't know _what_ to say, exactly. He just walked up to Jean's desk with no plan in mind.

"Ah-uhhhh… " Marco stood there, searching for words, just staring at Jean for what seemed like an eternity before muttering a small, "Never mind." and walking away at a brisk pace. Jean just stayed in his spot, slightly confused at what situation he was just in right now. Did he scare him off or something? He shrugged, pushing the thought away and headed outside the class to join his friends.

Jean headed outside with his friends when he caught sight of Marco, talking with Eren and Armin on the sidewalk. He saw Marco laugh, which somehow made the feeling in Jean's stomach to get worse. Jean laughed at some joke Connie made, still staring at Marco. To be honest, he was feeling really bad for how he treated Marco. No matter how much he tried to ignore the feeling, the guilt just wouldn't go away. He sighed deeply for a second and turned to his friends.

"Hey, guys. You go on ahead, I have something to do. I'll catch up later." he said, earning him a few shrugs and confused faces as they walked off. Jean leaned against the walls of the school for a second, taking a deep breath before walking over to Marco.

Eren immediately stopped talking when he saw Jean heading towards the three of them. He stepped in front of Marco, blocking Jean's way. Marco stared at Jean himself, biting his lip slightly.

"What do you want, Kirchstein?" Eren spat, glaring at the taller male in front of him. Marco kept a hand on his shoulder, trying to get Eren to move but he wouldn't budge.

"Get out of the way, Jaeger. I'm not interested in talking to you. I need to talk to Marco." Jean replied, looking straight at Marco. Marco stared back at Jean, a slightly confused expression on his face. Eren tried to say something but Marco cut him off, giving him a reassuring smile before walking away with Jean.

"What do you need to talk about?" Marco asked, putting a hand in his jacket pocket. He looked at Jean, who was just standing there, looking as if he was under a lot of pressure. Marco raised an eyebrow at him, never seeing him act like this in his whole experience in high school. Jean was pacing back and forth, stopping a few times and opening his mouth as if to say something- then go back to pacing again, muttering inaudible things to himself. He leaned against the wall of the school, crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for Jean.

To be fair, Jean _was_ under a lot of pressure. He'd never done anything like this. But no matter what he tried, that stupid feeling of guilt just wouldn't leave. It felt weird, and it took some preparing for him. He finally stopped and faced Marco, while staring at the ground.

"Look, Bodt- I mean Marco. About what happened earlier today, I-I don't know what happened I just- It just happened you know? I mean that wasn't completely deliberate, I didn't know what to do, and I just did that to you, and it was in the heat of the moment, like a reflex, sort of, I guess, I don't know, actually..." Jean kept rambling on for a good two minutes before Marco broke him off with a small laugh, amused at what was happening in front of him. Jean shot Marco a dirty look, before he realized that he was acting like a complete idiot in front of him. He sighed, and looked at Marco straight in the eyes.

"Basically, what I'm trying to say is… I'm-I'm sorry... for how I treated you today, okay?" he said, sighing and tilting his head up, happy he finally got that over with.

Marco just stared at him, fazed. He stood like that for a few minutes, trying to understand the situation. Jean just _apologized _to him. _Jean_ just apologized _to him._ _What?_

It took a few minutes for Marco to force the words out of his mouth, "Why me?" he asked, his voice uncertain, and airy.

Jean just stared at him, taking a step closer to him.

"Because maybe I felt bad about hurting you, okay?" he exclaimed, shoving a hand into the pocket in his jeans. "Just- don't tell anyone about this. Or you're going to regret it, and I'll make sure that I won't be feeling bad next time." he said, narrowing his eyes. Jean stormed off, leaving a shocked Marco leaning against the school wall, trying to keep up with where he was now.

Marco finally regained his composure and walked off, towards Eren and Armin, a small smile on his lips. He laughed when he saw Eren's worried face as he hurried over to him, trying to see if he was hurt in any way.

"What happened? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Eren asked, inspecting Marco.

"Gah. Eren honestly you're acting like my mother now. Stoooop." Marco said, laughing and punching him in the arm lightly.

Eren laughed as well, but turned serious again, "No, but honestly, did horseface do anything to you? Why did he want to talk to you?" he asked.

Marco smiled, placing a hand on Eren's shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Nothing serious happened." he said, before smiling to himself, "Nothing happened at all." he said, giving Eren a big smile.

Eren raised his eyebrow, and shrugged. "Okay. But if he does something to you, tell me right away." he said.

"Why do you guys hate each other so much anyway? You guys used to be just fine with each other before the last two years." he asked, causing Eren to scoff, and turn around. He clenched his fists, forcing out a harsh laugh.

"He's just a stupid bastard who doesn't care about anyone but himself." Eren spat, before turning back around to face Marco, "Be careful with him." he warned, before picking his bag up off the ground. "Well, that's enough for today. I'll see you guys tomorrow then I guess." he said, before walking away.

That day Marco went home feeling strangely happier than usual.

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"Jean. JEAN." Connie shook Jean slightly, causing him to come out of his thoughts. Jean shook his head, staring blankly at Connie, slightly annoyed.

"What do you want?" he asked, throwing his head to one side while rolling his eyes.

"Nothing. You've just been spacing out a lot lately today. It's kinda weird." he pointed out, poking Jean's shoulder. Jean sighed,and turned to face him again, a look of annoyance on his face.

"How come you're so interested in me today?" he snapped back, glaring at the shorter male in front of him. Connie lifted his hands up as if to surrender and backed off, laughing nervously.

"Calm down, man. It was just a question." he said, patting Jean's shoulder lightly before picking his bag up and swinging it over his shoulder. "Need to leave now. See you tomorrow, yeah?" he said, waving his arm. Jean gave him a little nod and picked up his bag himself, ready to head home.

Jean walked down the sidewalk, his hands in his coat pockets, with a troubled look on his face. He was supposed to be just fine right now. He was supposed just apologize to Marco and get that weird feeling out of his stomach. He was supposed to stop thinking about Marco so much. Yeah, the feeling of guilt had gone, whoop de doo.

So then why couldn't he stop thinking about him?

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**OKAYYY second chapter done \(0v0)/ hope you guys found it at least mildly entertaining :3 **

**Anyway, so yah reviews are greatly appreciated! Some feedback to improve would also help.**


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